The moment Lancelot uttered the name Heracles, he noticed Artoria's expression shift into something strangely peculiar.
"What's wrong, King Arthur? Does this Heracles have some… unusual traits?"
"Hmm… not exactly. It's just…" Artoria trailed off, a hint of wryness in her voice. "It's making me reflect. Fate, that wretched wench, truly enjoys toying with people."
With a sigh, she turned on her heel and walked away.
"Continue with your summoning ritual. I'll use this time to evacuate the bystanders around here. After all, stepping on ants without killing them is… quite the delicate task."
Lancelot watched her retreating figure until it disappeared entirely from view. Only then did he speak, his tone tinged with admiration.
"As expected of the noble King of Knights. Even having fallen as a Heretic God, consumed by madness, she still cares for the common folk. Just how unyielding and steadfast must her sense of self be?"
"Uncle…"
Guinevere finally broke her silence after Artoria left.
"Uncle, it seems… Heracles isn't the King we're searching for, either."
"Indeed, my dear."
Though Artoria had never openly admitted it, Guinevere had her suspicions—Artoria most likely knew the identity of the Last King.
But Guinevere had no intention of questioning her directly. She would rather continue summoning potential [Steel] Gods one by one to observe Artoria's reactions than engage her in conversation.
"So… should we abandon the summoning of Heretic Heracles?"
Lancelot turned to Guinevere for guidance.
Guinevere frowned deeply, visibly torn, before finally responding.
"No. We continue. Lady Artoria still needs to hunt [Steel] Gods to grow stronger. Under her protection, our activities have been proceeding smoothly. There's no need to fear interference from the Campiones. By summoning these [Steel] Gods, we can also earn Lady Artoria's favor."
"Uncle, I need you to keep watch around the area. I'm going to start preparing the summoning."
With that, Guinevere busied herself once more.
Ordinarily, summoning a Heretic God required dozens of skilled priestesses or witches offering prayers to the deity, pleading for a response.
But Guinevere was no ordinary priestess—she was a Divine Ancestor, the progenitor of witches and priestesses, the reincarnation of a Mother Earth goddess whose life had been stolen by the Sacred Slayer.
Her abilities to summon deities far surpassed those of her mortal descendants.
What's more, this time, she had prepared offerings that would practically ensure the summoned god would be none other than Heretic Heracles.
---
Meanwhile, Artoria was focused on minimizing civilian casualties during the upcoming battle.
The first solution that came to mind was to deploy a large-scale boundary field to drive people away—a basic yet versatile spell in magecraft. However, the sheer size of the field she needed to construct would make it far from simple.
Adding to the challenge was her divine body, which would cause most standard boundary fields to collapse the moment they made contact with her. She needed to devise a way to set up the field while ensuring it wouldn't react to her presence.
The process was proving to be quite the headache.
As she pondered, Artoria arrived at the nearest town.
Then, her sharp eyes caught something unexpected, a flicker of surprise flashing across her face.
"Hmm? She's here too? Well, that makes sense. With such abnormal fluctuations in magical energy, it's only natural that various organizations would send people to investigate."
"...Perhaps I can get them to help evacuate the townsfolk."
…
Inside a small drink shop, Liliana Kranjčar sat in a relaxed posture. Dressed in a light blue sundress, her silver-white hair tied into a high ponytail, she sighed softly, idly stirring her drink with a straw.
"What's wrong, Lily? Why the long face? It's rare for us to meet up like this, yet you look so glum… You know frowning all the time will make you age faster, right?"
"I only have this face because I ran into you," Liliana shot back, raising her head to glare accusingly at the girl across from her.
The other girl had long, golden hair, eyes as bright as sapphires, and an air of aristocratic elegance. She wore a striking red dress that accentuated her noble demeanor. Though still young, her poised features hinted at a future beauty worth envying.
This was Erica Blandelli, a prodigy of the Copper-Black Cross, one of Italy's seven prestigious magecraft associations. Known as the "Crimson Devil," she was a mage as talented as Liliana herself.
Recently, however, Liliana's standing in the magical world had undergone a remarkable transformation.
The reason? A certain unnamed Heretic God had slain both a [Steel] God and a fearsome Campione—all to save her.
For most, the idea of a Heretic God intervening for a mere mortal was utterly absurd. But no one dared to question it—because anyone who might've tried was probably already six feet under, with grass sprouting on their graves.
Liliana's association, which had originally been subordinate to the Marquis Voban, should have seen its influence plummet after his disappearance. Instead, her newfound reputation had managed to stabilize their position, keeping opportunistic rivals at bay.
The Copper-Black Cross and the Bronze-Black Cross, both prominent Italian magecraft associations, were sister organizations with a close yet complicated relationship.
And Erica and Liliana, as rising stars of their respective factions, had known each other since childhood. They were not only childhood friends and rivals but also mutual sources of inspiration.
However, Erica's envy over Liliana's recent encounter with the divine was undeniable.
Liliana, for her part, knew all too well that beneath Erica's sweet demeanor lay a mischievous heart, perfectly encapsulated by her title, the "Crimson Devil."
Liliana had come to this town to investigate the unusual magical energy fluctuations nearby. If left unchecked, these fluctuations could potentially lead to the emergence of a Divine Beast—and, eventually, a Heretic God.
Unsurprisingly, Erica had also been sent by the Copper-Black Cross for the same reason.
"Erica, the only reason I'm sitting here having a cold drink is because you insisted on it. But isn't this a bit too lax? Do you even remember we're on an important mission?"
"Of course I remember! But we haven't found anything yet, have we? And besides, there's this lovely saying in the East: 'Balance work and rest.' Taking a break will help us investigate better later. Also… it's not every day we meet. Don't you have anything you'd like to say to me?"
"No, I don't. Especially not to a fox like you."
Liliana's words were sharp and unyielding, leaving no room for niceties as her disdain for Erica shone through.
"Oh? Well, alright then. I won't press you."
Erica backed down surprisingly easily, a move that immediately set off alarm bells in Liliana's mind.
---
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf